Ka ziyarci Hull a kowace rana, ba za ka iya rasa jin daɗin birnin ba. An ɗora tutoci masu launi na amber a kan sandunan fitila suna shelanta: We are Premier League, yayin da tutocin tagogi ke ɗauke da saƙonni masu ƙarfin hali kamar Dare to Dream. Mutun da ya sa duk wannan ya faru shi ne Sergej Jakirovic — kuma ba shi da niyyar tsayawa a nan.

"Ina alfahari sosai da wannan nasarar kuma mutane suna alfahari," in ji babban kocin Hull City wa Sky Sports. "Ba abu ne mai sauƙi ba samun haɓakawa da wasa a Premier League. Muna ganin yadda yake da wahala. Za a sami cikas da nasarori, wannan al'ada ne. Amma mun riga mun nuna cewa za mu iya yin gasa."

Falsafar mai fada

Jakirovic, wanda yake da shekara 49, mutum ne mai kama amma kuma mai jan hankali. Yana magana da Sky Sports bayan da suka sha kashi daga Fulham, amma yana nuna kwanciyar hankali da ƙarfin hali maimakon damuwa. Shan kashi guda ɗaya ba zai canza hanyarsa ba.

"Shan kashi guda ɗaya yanzu za mu mika wuya? Za mu yi watsi? A'a. Yana game da ƙoƙarin ingantawa," in ji shi. Hull na shiga karshen mako a rabin sama na jadawalin Premier League — matsayi mai ban mamaki la'akari da cewa sun kare a matsayi na 21 a Championship a kakar da ta gabata kafin haɓakarsu a Wembley a watan Mayu.

"A dabi'ata, ni ɗan fada ne kuma ba zan taɓa mika wuya ba. Ko wanene abokin hamayya, za mu sami damarmu. Dole mu yaƙi, mu kasance tare, mu bi shirin dabaru."

Hanya mai ban mamaki zuwa ɗaukaka

Jakirovic ya gina sunarsa ta hanyar lashe gasar a Bosnia tare da Zrinjski Mostar da kuma kammala bikin nasara a Croatia tare da Dinamo Zagreb. Amma zama a 2025 a Kayserispor a Turkiyya shine wanda ya zama mafi dacewa ga gwagwarmayar Hull ta yanzu. Ya karɓi ƙungiya da ke cikin ƙananan uku a watan Janairu kuma ya samar da aiki na huɗu mafi kyau har zuwa ƙarshen kakar don ceto ƙungiyar daga faɗuwa.

"Ban san masu horarwa da yawa da suka fara yadda na fara a makarantar raya albarkatu ba sannan, matakai matakai, su zo nan," in ji shi. "Girma ne mai girma kuma ina alfahari sosai da wannan tafiya. Ba abu ne mai sauƙi ba samun wannan dama nan, musamman daga ƙasata. Amma dole ka yi amfani da damarku."

Ainihin hanyar Hull ta dabaru

Hanyoyin Hull sun riga sun ɓatar da ƙungiyoyi da yawa a wannan kakar. Nasararsu ta 2-0 akan Manchester United a ranar farko ta kakar ita ce mamakintaccen farko na kakar, biye da nasara a Coventry da kuma daidaita wasa da Aston Villa, Chelsea, da Everton. Tsarin 5-4-1 ba tare da ƙwallo ba an tsara shi don sanya ƙungiyar ta yi wahala a karya kafin kai hari da sauri — babu wata ƙungiya a Premier League da ke motsa ƙwallon zuwa sama da sauri fiye da su.

"Mun yanke shawarar wasa tsarin guda ɗaya wanda yake kawo mana kwanciyar hankali," in ji Jakirovic a bayani. "Muna wasan da ƙwallo da ƙarfin hali sosai — ƙarfin hali, motsi masu kyau." Lambobin mallakar ƙwallo suna zagaye tsakanin kashi 30 zuwa 35, lambar da ya yi la'akari da ita a matsayin al'ada gaba ɗaya. "Ba game da mallakar ƙwallo ba; yana game da abin da kuka yi da shi."

Raunuka suna ɗumbin hoton

Buri na Hull ya rikita ta hanyar jerin dogon raunuka. Ɗan wasa na tsakiya Hidemasa Morita, da aka sanya hannu a kan shi daga Sporting, ya samu damar shiga tsakanin zaman horar da jama'a 10 zuwa 12 tun da ya zo tsakiyar Yuli. Mai kera burin Ilyas Ansah, sauyawar babba daga Bundesliga, bai taka fagen ba tukuna. Robinio Vaz, aro daga Roma, ya yi bayyanar maye guda huɗu kafin ficewa daga filin, kuma Matt Targett yana da idon sawunsa da ya naɗe. Tottenham Hotspur kaɗai suna da ƴan wasa da yawa waɗanda ke waje yanzu.

"Waɗannan sabbin masu shiga za su ƙara wa ƙungiyar," in ji Jakirovic da ƙarfi. "Wasu suna da yuwuwa mai girma — ƙanana ne sosai. Kowane zaman horo kwarewa ce gare su. Dama ce ta girma. Ina ƙoƙarin gina wannan ƙungiyar."

Hangen nesa wanda ya wuce ƙwallon ƙafa

An san shi da farfesa a Croatia saboda kulawa da kyau ga ƙananan bayanai — "kusan kowane aiki, kana samun wani abu" — Jakirovic yana kuma mai da hankali daidai a bangaren ɗan adam na gudanarwa. A matsayinsa na wanda ya tsira daga Yaƙin Balkans a lokacin samartakarsa, yana ɗauke da hangen nesa wanda ke ɗaukarsa lokacin da sakamako ya sa takaici.

"Ƙwallon ƙafa shine rayuwata. Amma, a ƙarshen rana, wasanni ne kawai. Yana sa takaici wani lokaci amma dole mu ji daɗin kowane wasa domin babbar gata ce ta musamman a buga a Premier League."

Yana ɗauke da launi a kafaɗunsa suna tunawa da nasarori na baya. Ya ce zaman a Premier League ba zai cancanci sabon ɗaya ba — waɗancan an tanada su don kofuna. Amma wannan nasarar za ta kasance mai ma'ana mai zurfi ga kulob ɗin da birni wanda ya daɗe yana jiran wannan lokaci. "Magoya baya suna ban mamaki," in ji shi. "Mene ne matsi? Kamar yadda na faɗa, wasanni ne kawai."